Luke Hughes tallied three assists, Jesper Bratt added two more, and the New Jersey Devils snapped a three-game skid with a 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night.
Nathan Bastian, Timo Meier, Ondrej Palat, Dawson Mercer, and Stefan Noesen each scored for the Devils. Bratt, who has four assists in his last three games, reached a career-high 84 points on the season. Jacob Markstrom turned aside 21 shots in goal.
Nico Hischier continued his strong play with an assist on Noesen’s empty-net goal, extending his point streak to eight games. Since March 11, he has registered four goals and five assists.
Chicago got goals from Tyler Bertuzzi, Ilya Mikheyev, and Frank Nazar but dropped its eighth game in the last ten. Goalie Spencer Knight made 15 saves in the loss.
Game Takeaways
Devils: New Jersey swept the season series against the Blackhawks, also earning a 4-1 win on December 14.
Blackhawks: Chicago held a 24-20 edge in shots, including a 13-shot third period, but couldn’t solve Markstrom consistently enough to rally.
Key Moment
The Devils seized early momentum by scoring twice in just 27 seconds in the first period. Bastian struck at 6:23, and Mercer followed on the power play at 6:50, only five seconds into the man advantage.
Key Stat
New Jersey scored in all game situations — even strength, power play, short-handed, and into an empty net — for the first time since November 14 in a 6-2 victory over Florida.
Looking Ahead
The Devils continue their road trip Friday with a matchup against the Winnipeg Jets. The Blackhawks host the Vegas Golden Knights the same night.
